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Vista Folder Background: Set Your Desired Wallpaper as Folder Background in Windows Vista




In Windows Vista, you can’t use any image as folder background. But there is a small utility which allows you to set any wallpaper as background image in folders.

Thanks to Andreas for creating “Vista Folder Background“. It integrates itself in Explorer and adds a new tab “Folder Background” in Folder Customization dialog box.

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4962/vistafolderbackgroundsaw3.jpg

Download Here



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75 Replies:

  1. parvinder said:

    u r great dear but how do u manage so much u got vast knowledge man ur head might be ready to burst………….. thanks god for sending such a man on earth…
    thanks for vista folder customization
    keep it up :lol: :roll: :???: :razz: :idea:

  2. VG said:

    ^^ haha. Thanks for your kind words. :)

  3. Andrew said:

    This is a great app, but for some reason I can’t get it to successfully install. I keep getting an error relating to VistaFolderBackground.dll not being there. I had C++ (x86 and x64) installed so I tried reinstalling them, and then installing the app again. However I got the same message. I have a 64 bit version of vista, and tried both the 64 and 32 versions of the app. The .dll loaded for the 32 but fails due to another error (I’m assuming because of my 64 bit OS). Any ideas? :?: :smile:

  4. VG said:

    ^^ Right click on “install.bat” file and select “Run As Administrator”. It should work.

  5. Andrew said:

    Thanks for the response, but still no luck. I tried messing around with permissions and ownership, but that didn’t work either. I’m not sure what else to try. :???:

  6. VG said:

    ^^ Sorry mate but I have no idea about 64 bit version.

  7. Ronnell said:

    I got it installed but it won’t change my pic folder in vista which is green and not brown

  8. jaikanth said:

    hai man this is jai form chennai i need to know how to change visual style wich i downloaded in vista home premium

  9. Ronald said:

    Hello Vishal sir,

    I have the 32 bit version and am also having trouble with this. :cry: I have installed it successfully and am still unable to view the image after it has been set. Do the image files I choose need to be in a certain format :?: ( ie. .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp …etc, etc)
    for I have tried them all, including saving as file type .bg (?). I know i saw that one somewhere on your site :evil: :shock:

  10. VG said:

    ^^ It has problems sometimes. Make sure you have installed the required things. I have no idea why its not working for you. I checked it and its working fine here. :)

  11. Ronald said:

    I may have not had ample permission, and if that is the case, then i will leave it alone. :eek: I tend to go on deletion sprees ( ADD is a curse) and should not be allowed into most of my system files without supervision :mrgreen: I sure enjoy the ideas the application inspires tho. I might try again after i make 100 empty text files then recycle em one by one. I love that sound. could you tell me what file type you are using?

  12. VG said:

    ^^ I tried with both JPG and BMP files. Both worked. May you don’t have proper permissions?

  13. Ronnell said:

    got it install but it won’t change the default green picture folder

  14. Ronald said:

    I will try again with the permissions since every time you tell some one that it fixes the problem :grin: I clicked on the Microsoft MVP link and saw you were having a discussion sometime this month. Is that a Microsft Insider thing or can anyone attend? I wouldn’t interrupt, just listen. :neutral:

  15. Ronald said:

    :oops: could you believe i had unselected display folder background in my performance advanced settings menu :roll: thanks again Vishal sir this will increase my love for windows 10X so it is up around 10^100 :wink:

  16. VG said:

    ^^ Good to know. Regarding to your MVP page question, Its Global Summit for MVPs which is organized every year. :)

  17. Ronald said:

    :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: bet it will be full of conspiracies and jokes about steve jobs. :lol: guess i’ll delete it from my calendar then *sniff* :oops:

  18. Ronnell said:

    do you think it will chage default folders that are green and not brown in vista?

  19. VG said:

    ^^ It changes folder’s background. It doesnt change their icons. :)

  20. Ronald said:

    Dear Ronnell,

    are you asking if the folders that are default vista glass ( transparent) and the normal windows files (that are similar to real life manilla folders) will be changed. What this is going to do is when you open one of these folders the background of the window with the folder’s content will change. The folder icon will remain the same. Your “Music” folder is transparent blue but if you open the file and right click on it’s background, that is what will change, not the thumbnail placed in the icon. Does that help. Also make sure that you right click on MyComputer\ then click on \Properties(in the drop down menu \then click on (the left upper) advanced system settings\ then click on the performance settings button\ then scroll down to find “use a background image for each folder type” make sure it is checked. that was my problem. good luck

  21. Ronnell said:

    Thanks I have vista home premium, and the desktop,music, picture, video, document, favorites, links are all (transparent blue) mine are green, but I tried to change with a imagine jpg and click apply and refresh but still nothing, the folder is still the same.

  22. Ronald said:

    Dear Ronnell,

    If you are expecting the folder ICONS to change, this tweak will not do that. What this will do is change the Folder Content Menu’s background to change. Say you open your Music folder, the window background is white, where the file contents float above. That is what you are able to change to a picture of your choice. If you want to change the icon, then you may try this ::: http://www.askvg.com/icontweaker-a-free-software-to-change-all-windows-icons/
    or follow the links to a another Icon tweaking application.

  23. Ronald said:

    sorry edit^^^^

    it will change the Folder Content’s background to change
    just love the word menu
    15 years food service is hard to put away
    hope that helps you clear things up
    this is a great site with so much information available that it tends to overwhelm
    I know i haven’t left this site since i found it :mrgreen:

  24. Ronald said:

    sorry edit^^^^

    it will cause the Folder Content’s background to change
    just love the word menu
    15 years food service is hard to put away
    hope that helps you clear things up
    this is a great site with so much information available that it tends to overwhelm
    I know i haven’t left this site since i found it :mrgreen:

  25. Ronnell said:

    Thanks, I see what you mean, What I really wanted to do was was to place a picture on the folder (Picture) like my music folder has a thumbnail of a album. It just want change, do I need to change the whole folder icon just to place a thumbnail pic

  26. Ronald said:

    Dear Vishal,

    sorry about the double post. :oops:

    Dear Ronnell,

    There is an option when you right click on the folder under the customize tab, that will allow you to insert which ever file you want into the folder sleeve. By default the folder will show (in music folder) album art already in the folder. You may change that to show which ever image file you like. If you want your original or default imgae back there is also a reset to default button. the image you choose will be inserted into the folder not over it. To cover the whole folder icon or maybe change the icon altogether follow the link above or another similar application, quite a few can be found through this site. good luck maybe i would insert links to a few images i made but i am not sure i am allowed to do that. Just make sure your folder view is set to icon mode and have fun.

  27. Ronnell said:

    In customize (What kind of folder do you want?)-use this folder type as template-(pictures and videos) Folder Picture (choose a file to show on folder icon. I choose tha pic (jpg) and click apply and nothing. it will not display. Thanks anyway for the help

  28. Ronald said:

    Dear Ronnell,

    One more place to check would be :: right click on MyComputer/ then click on properties/ then click on advanced system settings/ then click on performance setings button/ then scroll down to “show Thumbnails instead of icons” Make sure the Window you are in trying to change icons is set for icon view. that would prevent you from seeing your customized folder. good luck and let us know if it worked.

  29. Ronnell said:

    thats check, now how do I know if its set for icon view? under view it says medium icons

  30. Ronald said:

    Dear Ronnell,

    You are able to change the icons in the subfolder of you user files? If not you may need a 3rd party app. I made a picture showing you what i have been talking about. The top left picture is of the folders in your main user file folder c\user\vista-user but if you go into a sub folder from vista-user you may do what it is we :?: were talking about. one last try before you go 3rd party or resource hack is maybe to copy the folder you want to change and see if it will work then. But the copy folder will not be transparent unless you go toright click folder you copied “change icon” under customize /then insert this in the location bar : %SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll good luck

  31. Ronald said:

    sorry bad me bad bad me :twisted:
    %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll
    so sorry and the picture maybe will tell us we are talking about the same folder type
    http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii286/superduperusername/Capture.jpg

  32. Ronnell said:

    Yes, we are talking about the same type folder under user name, copied the picture folder, change icon to yellow and clicked properties and customize and selected the pic, applied and no, no nothing, I guess with vista there is no way, I just wanted to add a pic to the subfolder pic but about to give up, thanks, thanks

  33. Ronald said:

    Dear Ronnell,
    you can still accomplish it with resource hacker and your imageres.dll file it will just change the icon universally though. or you could copy the icon and then customize it to your desire then use that one from a different path i suppose. resource hacker is a neat application and you dont even have to install it it runs straight from the zip file.

    dont give up just take a break :wink: you figure it out. sorry i was absolutely no help. you can still change your subfolders and the background of them. now just find a way to change the main user folders. i am gonna keep at it as well since you gave me such a great idea and i wanna do it real badly now too :smile:

    good luck have fun

  34. Ronnell said:

    where do I get the resource hacker

  35. Ronnell said:

    where do I get the resource hacker

  36. Ronald said:

    Dear Ronnell,

    there is a link to it on the right Resource Hacker (17)
    then peruse the Windows Vista !!!(108)!!! link to narrow down what you want to know.
    Vishal’s site mashed together with Google makes a spicy meatball. :lol:
    or click this: http://www.askvg.com/tutorial-all-about-resource-hacker-in-a-brief-tutorial/ :razz:

  37. Ronnell said:

    Thanks, my friend, there now, lots of good stuff

  38. Ronald said:

    dear Ronnell,

    you are quite welcome, I found out alot here and am happy help (if i actually did :lol: ) I try to read everything to see if someone else has had the problem i am having or to avoid one myself. I might not know what i am talking about but that helps sometimes too. :wink: good luck and have fun

  39. Ronnell said:

    Thanks, my pc is my life sort of, I spend so much time here, I take classes online at capella university and any help to make web surfing and my computer experience good or any problem I might have, I think I’m pretty secure, no problem so far with, avast pro antivirus, comodo firewall. winpatrol, spyware terminator, spyware blaster and windows defender all running and I have found the best and fastest brower in avant. I try and join the forum to each program running in case I have problems, I have this site bookmarked, you all are some nice folks, have a great day

  40. Ronald said:

    Dear Ronnell,

    I rarely comment at all, but when i found this site i was very happy to see how much support Vishal gives to visitors. I was overwhelmed by the knowledge he has made available with no thought for reward. I couldnt stop myself from helping, since i have received so much myself in just a short time being a guest here. you should subscribe to Vishal’s RSS feed//content and comments :mrgreen:
    School sounds like a blast if all you do is work on yur computer :wink:
    Can i ask what Profession you are aiming for? well i just did, didn’t I? :lol:
    Teacher? if so Vishal can give you the cliff notes :???:

  41. Ronnell said:

    I love pc so much that I like repairing them, getting old part and fixing up pc, and giving them to people. I just love seeing how their faces light up, I do that now but I need to learn the inside and outs of them, I still might teach a little, thanks

  42. VG said:

    @Ronnell
    I’m glad that you liked the site and stuffs. Feel free to ask anything and we’ll e more than happy to help you. :)

    @Ronald
    Thanks for your kind help. You are doing a great job. Much appreciated. You can also join the Discussion forum and can start posting there. The link is given in Top menubar. I know you’ll do a great job there too. ;)

  43. Genie said:

    Hey guys
    I try to download the vista folder background but i cant go to the homepage is the it broken or is it just me ?-)

  44. Genie said:

    Hey guys
    I try to download the vista folder background but i cant go to the homepage is the it broken or is it just me ?-)

  45. VG said:

    ^^ The download site is down at. Please wait for some time.

  46. mido said:

    :?: wow

    hyfj

  47. Theo said:

    im using a 64-bit vista home premium system but the back ground pic of the folder jus wont change when i set it. y? :neutral:

  48. VG said:

    ^^ I think 64 bit version doesnt support it but I’m not sure.

  49. Benjamin said:

    It will work on 64 Bit vista…….One doubt for me VG…….i clicked the install.bat file…but an error is occuring ” regsrv loaded but cannot able to register that dll file?….please help me….

  50. VG said:

    ^^ Try to run as Administrator.

  51. Benjamin said:

    ok man…thanx :smile:

  52. Benjamin said:

    Please help me.!!! i really wants to change the setup screen mate……i changed the images in spwizimg.dll which are present in support, sources, Install.wim—-windows/system32 and even i changed spwizimg.dll.mui files…..in Boot.wim—-windows/system32….i cant find the file…….no such file is present inside boot.wim…….Even after changing these files still i’m getting the default background……anyone please i need your help guys……god bless you

  53. Benjamin said:

    VG do u please tell me about my above reply…..u knw all the things…please tell me mate

  54. VG said:

    ^^ Sorry mate but I have not tried to change installation screen of Windows Vista. If I come across any tutorial, I’ll let you know. :)

  55. Benjamin said:

    ok dude….Thank you

  56. goldi said:

    Hi VISHAL. This article sounds nice but it is not working for me . i have windows vista ultimate x86 rtm version . I have install install.bat with administrator right so there will be an option generated in folder properties, but it is not working. i have selected all types of images as .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp & all but no one image in background of folder.. pls help…………

  57. Agent8 said:

    This app works perfectly but I was wondering if there was any way to set the folder background transparent. I have tried to set a transparent gif and transparent jpg. The transparent gif gets really screwy and the transparent jpg just shows through to the white of the folder background and not through to desktop background. Any ideas?

    Again, thanks so much for making such a great app and setting it loose for free- just trying to give some feedback and maybe prompt innovation.

  58. VG said:

    ^^ Sorry but you can’t use transparent images as the explorer doesnt support them.

  59. Agent8 said:

    Awe… Too bad. Thanks for the reply, yeah I had poked around a bit and figured it might not be possible but thought I would ask someone who would know more than me.

    Cheers

  60. shwetankh said:

    hi guys,
    i dont want to sound dumb but plz could u help me out…(also @ VG)

    how do i know which vista i have….32 or 64???

    and then i think i have 32. so could u all plz plz tell me what to do step by step?

    i installed the “install” thing but it didnt work.

    thx for ur support guys…hope i get a reply.

    tc

  61. shwetankh said:

    hi guys…me again :cry:

    what should i do with a “vistafolderbackground.dll” file?

    1) i installed the folderbg
    2) i installed “install.

    what should i do next or what am i missing out”

  62. VG said:

    ^^ Just right-click on “Install.bat” file and select “Run as Administrator”. It’ll do all the required things. Restart your system and you’ll get the extra tab in folder properties.

  63. shwetankh said:

    thx so much ………. and do u want me to put the images in the specied folder or anything after i install and restart my system

    thx buddy.i owe u big time.

  64. VG said:

    If you mean the background image which you set for a folder, then no. When you set the image as background, don’t change the image location.

  65. shwetankh said:

    thank you…….thank you……..thank you………..thank you………..thank you..so so so so so so so sosososo much….its working.u dont know how happy i am right now.after collecting 1 gb of wallpaper anime wallpapers actually…..i booked a laptop last week and it didnt work on my friends vista which i am using right now….so u can imagine 6 months of hard work…thx so much yar….i appreciate ur advice n the trouble u take to make people like me understand all this.tc..thx once again.
    long live vishal……

  66. VG said:

    ^^ You are welcome. :)

  67. shwetankh said:

    hi guys, me again.

    can u all plz tell me how to change the startup screen in vista.

    like when we book the laptop or computer the image which comes i want it to change…is there a way to do that.

    thx guys

  68. VG said:

    ^^ Do you mean the boot screen containing a simple progressbar or you mean the login screen containing username and password box?

  69. shwetankh said:

    any will do …if u know them for both….all the better.

    i just to change the normal stuff yar,

    thx

    tc

  70. VG said:

    To change Vista boot screen:

    http://www.askvg.com/windows-vista-boot-logo-generator-beta/

    To change Vista login screen:

    http://www.askvg.com/stardock-logonstudio-excellent-tool-to-change-windows-xp-and-vista-login-screen/

  71. shwetankh said:

    thx again willl try n keep u posted on things…..see u….tc buddy

  72. evit said:

    can someone tell me how to use Vista Folder Background? i had install it but dont know where to find Folder Customization dialog box. :sad:

  73. VG said:

    ^^ Right-click in any folder and select “Customize this folder” option.

  74. evit said:

    does i need to copy the VistaFolderBackground.dll file to any folder or it will automaticly save when i press the install.bat file

  75. VG said:

    ^^ No. The bat file will do the job.


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